


Shadow of the Flame

by chelswrites



Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelswrites/pseuds/chelswrites
Summary: post gs (yes this already exists on wattpad)





	1. chapter i

Mare Barrow  
Archeon, Norta

I didn't dare to look up at him, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was afraid if I did, I would see myself mirrored in his cold, blue eyes, kneeling before him, broken, weak. I practically could feel the satisfaction rolling off of him in waves, and I squashed down the rising anger bubbling within me. You brought this on yourself.

Tears of humiliation ran salty tracks down my burning face, dribbling onto my cracked lips that were bent into a frown, trembling, just like the rest of me. The rough gravel beneath me scraped and stung my knees. A small pool of blood, growing larger each passing second encircled my legs. Kneeling before this monster felt utterly wrong in every sense. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. It was if the hateful glares and jeers of the massive crowd were pinning me down in place.

I had no doubt that Silvers had come from far and wide just to see my downfall, my death. My soon to be execution.

Taking a deep breath, I finally mustered up enough courage to lift my head, and I peered at him through the thick curtain of hair that concealed my face. He was grinning down darkly at me, and I had to fight the sudden urge to leap up at him, and claw it off of his lying, deceiving face.

No. I couldn't. I promised I wouldn't fight, it was part of our bargain.

He upheld his end of it, and I intended to do the same.

The collar was a heavy weight around my throat, I could feel it tightening, almost like a noose, reminding me of my new position.

I was nothing more than a pet, his own personal plaything. Something to throw out when I was broken, or when he was bored with me, and demanded my blood as payment for my crimes.

The ragged M branded on my collarbone burned underneath my bloodied shift.

He raises a single hand, signalling for silence.

"Silvers of Norta, when I took up my new crown, I had vowed to all of you that I would find the murderous little lightning girl and make her pay for her treasonous crimes against the throne."

The crowd went completely silent, listening to their new king.

"Today is the day I shall honour that vow" Maven's voice thunders.

Oh God, he was going to kill me right now.

I didn't know why I was so shocked, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I blamed the fogginess of my mind on the drugs they had put me under.

I had come all this way, from revealing the true power beneath my frail appearance at Queenstrial, to becoming a Silver princess named Mareena, a stone statue of strength and power. From a cold-blooded betrayal and a failed execution, to being reborn as the feared lightning girl.

None of that mattered now.

The shock gave way to a spreading numbness. Acceptance. I was done, and I knew it. Even worse, he knew it.

I had no idea why a small part of me had hoped that this wasn't the end, how foolish of me.

Look what hope has done to you.

A flurry of gruesome methods whirled through my mind. How would he do it? Would he burn me alive, or use the sounder-

Well, I doubted he would do that. Maven had promised me that he would put my body on display, and charred ashes weren't much to look at.

"But first, to quell any idiotic ideas for an uprising, I have a message to the Scarlet Guard" he says, spitting out the name, as if it left a bad taste in his lying mouth.

"I've finally captured your precious lightning girl."

That's what I was, a living trophy, one to parade about, soon to be dead. Perhaps he would put my lifeless body right next to his stolen crown, things he took and payed for with innocent blood.

He turns to me, a feral look in his pale, blue eyes.

"She is an abomination, half red, half silver. The first and last of her wretched kind. It would be a mercy to remove her from this world."

The fact that he had pointed me out as an abomination did not surprise me, but rather that he had admitted to his court, to the country what I was. He had tried so hard to cover up the truth of what I was, he wanted me to play the trickster, the liar. The Red girl who had come from nothing pretending to be something she wasn't, a Silver. And now here he was, freely telling them. Instantly, I became suspicious. What game was this?

He points a white finger at me, shaking in rage.

"This is we were given the power, this is what happens when it falls into the hands of a filthy Red."

A slow, sadistic smile spreads across his face as he tips his head to the side, looking me over.

"Wouldn't you like to know the date Mare?"

His question puzzled me. What did the date have anything to do with this?

"Today would be November seventeenth."

My sharp intake of breath echoed across the platform.

"Happy eighteenth birthday Mare Barrow, enjoy it. I warned you it would be your last" he said, that same cruel smile on his face.

"In honour of your birthday, I got you a gift. Would you like to see it?" he asks, almost eagerly.

No, I want to say. No, no, no. The words stick in my throat, refusing to be spoken.

He yanks me by my leash, and it digs into my neck, pulling me up onto my feet, and leads me over to a small, rectangular pit at the edge of the platform, the eyes of the crowd following my every movement.

A box shaped figure covered in a white cloth lay at the bottom, begging to be unveiled.

"Go on then" he nudges me with his foot, "open it."

Shaking, I reach forward to pull the cloth off.

Once I realize what I'm what looking at, I drop to my knees, and put a hand to my stomach, trying to calm my raging nausea and another one to my mouth to stifle my gasp.

He's completely sick.

A perfectly crafted, white coffin stared up at me. No marks, no carvings.

Through my peripheral vision, I could see the crowd pressing in, trying to see what I was seeing. But they couldn't. This was for my eyes only.

A voice at my ear made me jump. "You like it?" Maven's voice whispers. "I thought about making the inside cushion red, but I figured that your blood would make a better paint."

I couldn't reply, I could only kneel there, staring at it in horror, speechless.

He chuckles in dark amusement. "What? No thank you?"

I almost choke on my words. "You're a sick bastard."

His smile twists into an angry scowl, and he clicks his tongue.

"Such an ungrateful brat" he spits.

The Arven guards step forward, and drag me towards a metal post with iron hooks dangling off the sides. I don't even bother fighting, my limbs felt weak and my head was spinning.

They fastened my manacles and ankle chains to the hooks, and I tugged them, only to be rewarded with thin trails of red blood dripping from my wrist.

Why even try? I was as good as dead.

Maven took his place at his carved throne, right next to a woman with greying hair, clothed in explosive shades of red and orange. No crown, no royal insignia. Her eyes flashed to mine, as if sensing my stare, and I almost gasped.

Her eyes.

They looked so familiar, I could've sworn I had seen those eyes before. Pure steel, and an unadulterated fire reflected in her gaze.

I didn't have time to think where I had seen her before, and I couldn't remember.

He turns to address the crowd.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes, a message to the Red Devils, as well as my treacherous brother."

He opens his clenched palm to reveal a small device.

"I'm sure you're quite familiar with this Mare" Maven says, a dark gleam in his eyes.

Click. Click. Click

I could actually feel the blood drain from my face. I had no doubt that this was on live television, blaring on screens across the country, even in run down villages such as the Stilts.

Maybe even on Tuck.

Mom, Dad, Gisa, the boys.

Ada, Nanny, Cameron.

Kilorn. Cal.

All of them would see this.

But that was just what Maven wanted.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears as Maven voiced my thoughts aloud.

"The sounder."

What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?

I've dug my own grave, it seems.

He clapped his hands together. "Let the entertainment begin!"

Entertainment.

The crowd howled in delight, eager to see my blood spilled, which was the last thing I heard before searing pain engulfed my left arm.

Then, blackness.


	2. chapter ii

Mare Barrow   
Archeon, Norta

I had only passed out for what had seemed like an eternity, but in reality, were mere seconds. It took all but a minute for me to realize that it was not in fact the sounder that was causing the excruciating pain, but a small, carving knife.

The blade glowed red, having just been heated over a flame, and I looked up to see who the handler was.

Jon.

I let out a cry of fury, this man was the reason why I was in this godforsaken mess, the reason Shade was dead.

If I hadn't been shackled to this post with my electricity trapped beneath my skin, begging to be loosed, I would surely electrocute him until the red from his irises turned into blood, and his thinly pressed lips twisted into a soundless scream.

An Arven guard held my left arm up, so Jon could continue marking my skin.

I couldn't see what he was writing, but all I knew was that the blade burned.

The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils, and tears stung at my eyes as I was hit by another wave of nausea.

Only when he pulled back did I see what was written on my arm.

I gasped.

Queenkiller.

"I'll fight you to the last, we all will, and we'll die doing it. We might even take you with us, just like your mother."

"You will be punished for that, mark my words."

His promise pounded in my head.

I stared at Jon, trying to read his expression, but his face was blank, red eyes cold, which was odd. Earlier he had an almost apologetic look, but I supposed that was a lie.

Stupid girl, I thought. Haven't you learned by now? Anyone can betray anyone.

"Fitting isn't it?" Maven's voice snapped me out of my mental scolding.

"Her pet Prince is a kingkiller, what a perfect match" he taunts, mockingly.

"Now for the real fun. Tell me lightning girl, do you know how it feels to be slowly tortured by your own weapon?" He asks, though we both already know the answer.

But the Silvers don't, they would be outraged if they had ever found out that their king had failed to capture the lighting girl, especially when they had the upper hand.

I don't answer, choosing to glare at him in hatred.

"Come on lightning girl, now you choose not to speak? Cat got your tongue?" He sneers.

"Would be quite a pity really for you to be mute." He lets out a mock sigh. "It would be a shame not being able to hear your lovely screams."

A look of disgust wormed it's way onto my face.

He bent down next to me, and whispered, "I used to admire your brave spirit, your stubbornness."

A cold shiver racked my body, and goosebumps crawled up my arms at his closeness, though not from delight, but from pure disgust at being so close to him.

He even smells cold.

"Now I wonder, what would it take to break that spirit?" He says, as if in deep thought.

Maven grabbed a fist full of my hair, and sliced a sharp blade through it. I watched angrily as clumps of my grey ends fluttered to the ground, surrounding me.

"Mark my words Mare, I will have you begging on your knees for mercy."

I didn't doubt him, I'm sure one day when I was to far gone, I would be begging for him to stop.

"I'm going to enjoy this. Any last words?"

Despite myself and the tears dripping down my face, I feel a wicked grin pull at the corners of mouth, straining against my scars, and I let it.

"I'll see you in hell, your highness" I spit out, and manage to give him the finger.

His own smile turns even colder, like his icy blue eyes, the same ones that haunt me, always watching.

"I mean" he says, shaking in deeper fit of rage, "Do you have any last words for my murderous brother?"

I gulped, and looked directly into the camera, knowing that he would see this, eventually.

I inhaled shakily, and said "please, don't do anything stupid, don't get yourself killed-" I'm trembling now, and swallowed thickly.

"And I- I trust you, to look after them, all of them." For as long as you can. I told him this in the Hall of the Sun, when he was escorting me back to my room, no, not me. Mareena. After barely surviving my first dinner there.

I hope he makes that connection.

I inhaled, and steeled myself. I couldn't break down, not now.

"And if you could, I would very much like to have my grave beside Shade's."

My voice cracks at his name.

I looked over the crowd, and they all wore the same expression of confusion. They didn't know who Shade was, and it was for the better. They could taunt me all they wanted, but I would not let them do the same to him.

A small movement to the left of the camera caught my eye.

There was a large group of Red's in the far back, most likely the servants of the High Houses.

An elderly woman touched two fingers to her brow, and then put them over her heart.

Like a stone being thrown into a pond, it had a ripple effect. Soon enough, all of them had two fingers over their hearts, with their heads bowed in respect.

This gesture, I had seen it quite enough times to know that it was one used to send a child off to war, what could be their untimely deaths.

It was also used to welcome them back, if they has somehow survived, to honour their bravery and life.

My wicked smile turned soft, and I bowed my head in defeat and acknowledgement.

This was the end.

I felt the curtain drop away, the Arven Silencers allowing my ability to rush back into my grasp, but not to long after, it was wrestled away from me.

I didn't see the guard switch on the terrifying device, but I knew it was on.

Click. Click. Click.

It echoed in my skull, rattling against my teeth.

I clamped my jaw shut, refusing to give Maven the satisfaction of my screams

I felt a whisper in my head, as if someone was pulling at my mind, but the sounder wiped that all away, begging for attention.

The pain branched along my humming nerves, alive with lightning, though this time, it was being used against me, not for me.

I was panting now, and felt drops of sweat beading down my forehead. I couldn't contain the electricity, and it ran up and down, twisting, all over my skin in bright, purple bolts.

It burned so much worse than the knife. It was no coincidence that the pain felt like fire and lighting. Maven probably thought of that himself.

A felt the scream rising up in my throat, and it escaped out of my mouth in an ear-splitting shriek of pain.

I screamed until my throat was raw, until it stung. Until I couldn't scream anymore.

Black spots dotted my vision, fading in and out with every click, and in that moment I knew what had to do, what would be easier for me to do.

I focused solely on my lightning, willing it to do what I wanted, ignoring the cheers of the crowd.

At first, flitting wisps of clouds gathered, floating across the clear blue sky. Harmless.

For now.

They faded into black, stormy rain clouds, and a soft drizzle pattered down.

Come on, you can do this.

I am the lighting girl.

The drizzle morphed into a light rain shower, and next, a full on thunder storm.

My breaths came out in short gasps.

Keep going, I urged myself.

A weak clap of thunder resounded through the air, followed by a stronger one, lightning snaked through the clouds, waiting to strike.

Maven said that he had a message to the Scarlet Guard.

He wanted them to see my pain, my defeat.

But I had a message of my own.

Lightning bolts, of all colour, blue, green, yellow, pink and purple pounded down on the platform and stands, and the Silver's jeers now turned into horrified screams.

I remembered what had I told Cal what seemed like years ago when we had first met on a dusty summer road at night, when I was nothing but a hopeless Red girl, a pickpocket, a shadow. Causing pain is all I'm good for.

Well, I certainly hope that it applied now.

I vaguely heard Maven shout something, but he was quickly whisked away by his sentinels, the frightening woman not to far behind.

But I couldn't focus on them, I had to finish this.

I would show them, all the Silver fools who had doubted me, when they had seen my ability with their own eyes and still refused to believe.

They chose to listen to Maven's pretty lie than the painful truth.

And for that, I would make them pay.

I was surrounded in a twisting, colourful crown of deadly energy, and as wonderful as it was, it had another purpose.

I knew Maven would torture me, and kill me slowly.

I was doing this not only for revenge, but for the sweet, black void that I now craved.

Death.

I wanted death.

My vision was blinded by the veining electricity, too bright to stand, even to me. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I poured my last bits of remaining energy into tossing back my head, and laughed, not even caring that I looked every inch of the murderer Maven played me out to be.

This was a fitting death for the lightning girl.

A short, but powerful reign, she had.

The Red Queen. Mareena. Mare Barrow. I was all of them, yet none of them.

I saw it, the black void. I reached out for it, and clung on tightly.

I want it, I want this.

Slowly, I let go and fell.

Into the darkness, into the shadows, into the light.

Into the hushed whispering vying for my attention.

Into death.


	3. chapter iii

Cameron Cole   
Somewhere in Corvium.

The fallen autumn leaves and twigs crunched underneath my feet with each step that I took, and I rubbed my stinging, swollen wrists. Damn those metal chains.

The evening sun beat mercilessly on our backs, and filtered through the twisting branches and leaves overhead, marking a day almost over.  
A day that had brought us nothing but heartache and trouble.

The rest of the group continued walking, wordlessly. What was there to say?

Kilorn seemed to be taking this worst than the rest of us, but I knew Cal and Mare's bulk of brothers, Bree and Tramy, were trying their best not to break down, right then and there.

She was gone. Mare was really gone.

I never fancied her. I always thought she was an arrogant girl, who believed she was above the rest of us for managing to wrap a princeling around her finger.

She claimed to be saving us from Maven, to be fighting for Reds, but has she seen what's actually going in in the villages and slums?

The riots, and the hanging's, all the measure's gruesome consequences. The same measure's that she read on television, stone faced like a true Silver would.

We all knew she was out to seek revenge on the king, she had her own selfish goals, but wouldn't admit it.

Though, as irritating and condescending as she was, we still needed her. She wasn't all that bad anyway.

I knew that the group would love nothing more than to go back to Tuck, and inform their little leader, the Colonel, about Mare's...erm.... situation. It was a wordless agreement, I could see it in their eyes. But I wouldn't let that happen.

Lightning girl or not, we came here for a reason, five thousand kids were depending on us, my brother was counting on me, whether he knew it or not.

Alright that's it.

"Someone say something" I plead.

Silence.

Hmph.

My voice came out as sharply as I intended it to, something I learned from those stupid Silvers back at Corros.

"I know you all want to go back to Tuck, but we can't. We came here for a reason, five thousand kids are counting on us!"

I looked over at Cal, at the storm of emotions swirling through his bronze eyes. At my words, he tightens his fist.

He knows I'm right, but then again, I usually am.

Kilorn barely spared me a glance, but I still see his once vibrant green eyes, now red rimmed, flash.

The guardsmen shift uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond.

Plan B then.

"Mare did not sacrifice herself so we could all sit here like lumps on a log." My voice drops an octave. "We have to help them."

Cal stiffens next to me at the mention of Mare, a touchy subject, but we don't have time for that, not now.

The Blackrun was..well..severely damaged, so we had no transportation.

I knew we were somewhere in Corvium, though I didn't know where.

Corvium was close enough to the Choke, so hopefully, that came in handy somehow.

But we couldn't walk and reach there today, it would take days.

We didn't have days.

"Cal, your good with mechanical things, right?" I ask.

He barely nods, seemingly lost in his own depressing thoughts.

I see how this was, I had to play the leader since it seemed that I was the only one with a fully functioning mind at the moment.

I didn't mind in the slightest.

"See if you could somehow build a radio out of the ruins, we need to inform the Colonel of our current situation."

Again, he nods.

I had seen him around wires and switches enough, and how it seemed to fascinate him. Perhaps building the radio would snap him out of his mood.

I understood that he was in shock, we all were, but grieving was for after, once we had returned to Tuck, hopefully with five thousand children in tow.

Cal crept over to the smoking, pulled apart Blackrun, and went through the parts, looking for something of use.

While he was busy with that, I split the group of guardsmen in half, so there were now two groups.

Each group had a leader, Group A's leader was a twenty year old man named James, with light brown hair, dark skin and a branching tattoo that winded up his throat in a curling design, he looked quite intimidating and I was briefly reminded of Mare's veining scars on her throat.

Group B's leader, a short woman named Mira had golden, brown skin and light brown hair that was now graying at the frayed ends, but despite her young appearance, she could have you on the floor in five seconds flat.

Group A was to scout the area, to make sure that Maven would stay true to his word and leave us alone, and Group B would find us some food.

I didn't bother assigning Kilorn to any group, I decided to give him a break, and some space.

His golden hair was disheveled after running his hands through it so many times, and his dull eyes were staring blankly into the distance.

He twisted what looked like a black, silky piece of cloth with fiery, floral designs around the edges between his fingers, almost absentmindedly.

A loud thunk made me jump, and a scrap of metal tumbled to the ground.

Cal halfheartedly shrugged, and bent down to retrieve it, and continued working.

I debated on whether or not to try and talk to Kilorn, and I eventually decided against it. I wouldn't be able to snap him out of his moody thoughts, only one person could do that.

And that person wasn't me.

\- - - - -

What felt like hours passed when both groups finally returned. The sky was no longer a spattered canvas of fiery reds, pinks and yellows, but was now an inky black, and flecked with twinkling stars. Cal does what he's supposed to do without being told, and sets a fire. The little flames jumped eagerly onto the wood pile, twisting and crackling.

The blaze of red, orange and yellow shone brightly against the dimming light of the sky, and the bottom glowed a ghostly blue.

Angry.

Cal was angry.

I couldn't blame him for being so furious, at his brother, at Mare for leaving, for being tangled up in this whole mess.

I was angry too. For goodness sakes, I was a fifteen year old, I wasn't supposed to be expected to fight a war.

Mira's group had been quite successful, with two deer and a bowlful of berries and nuts. She had assured me that they were perfectly safe for consumption, and they tasted delicious.

The scent of cooking meat wafted through the air, mixing in with the heavy smell of smoke. We gathered around the fire. Not one person spoke about Mare or how this may be one of the last night's of our lives, for some of us.

James had informed me that, despite his coy nature, Maven had apparently stood true to his word and the bargain, and left us alone. Of course, it was on the terms that we would stop fighting, as well as Mare, but I wouldn't. Not now or ever.

A few dull minutes passed, until Cal summoned me over.

"I think I've got it" Cal's gruff voice calls out.

I walked up next to him and inspected the radio. It was a large thing, with multicolored wires poking out through the metal, and mismatched buttons. I raised an eyebrow at it, skeptical.

"You didn't say to make it look pretty" Cal chuckles, though, there's no humor behind it.

I turn to him to see a joyless smile on his lips. His eyes void of any emotion.

It was quite an odd, not to mention creepy sight.

We couldn't have him lose it now, he needed to lead an entire legion across a war zone in a few hours.

I kicked him in the shin, and said "snap out of it, we don't have time for this."  
Comforting people clearly wasn't my strong suit.

His eyes cloud over, as if he was having a painful memory, but shakes his head to clear it.

He presses down on a blue button, and it emits a clicking sound. We wait for a few seconds, and Cal turns a few knobs, changing the frequency.

I chewed on my thumb nail, nervously.

A hissing static spits out of the radio followed by a choppy voice.

"Who is this?" The voice asks, the suspicion as clear as day.

Both Cal and I let out a sigh of relief.

He crossed his arms and grips them tightly, waging an internal battle with himself for what he was about to do.

He slowly exhaled, and to my surprise, did the three note whistle, the signal of the Scarlet Guard.

I wonder how uncomfortable that made him.

Again, the voice asks "who is this?"

I bit my lip, not knowing what to do. Should we risk our identities on this small hope? There were a multitude of radios at the Choke, so soldiers and their Generals could communicate, what if this wasn't the Colonel's radio?

What if Cal had gotten the frequency wrong?

If. I hated that stupid word

Think Cameron, think.

My name wasn't as well known as the other newbloods, expect for maybe perhaps in the court, but this was a battlefield. I highly doubted that anyone of those prissy, proper noble Silvers were getting their hands dirty with the war that they had forced us to fight for.

But then again, it had been a few weeks since I escaped the prison, my name could be plastered all over city walls.

After a long, drawn out moment, I decided to risk it. "This is Cameron Cole" I said, pausing to hear if the name sounded familiar to him.

Cal shot me a warning glance, and looked just as nervous as I felt, which may be the only other emotion other than anger I had seen from him today.

"Cameron Cole, assigned to Group B, led by Miss Barrow and the prince."

My posture relaxed. The frequency was correct.

"I have revealed my identity, and I am not a threat. So, who are you?"

"Second in command, lieutenant Jeremiah."

"May we speak with Colonel Farley, please?" I ask.

The radio clicks again, and goes silent on the other end.

This time, a different, yet familiar voice answers.

"Well your highness, care to explain where the hell you are?" The Colonel's stern voice makes me gulp.

"We-" he swallows thickly, and pauses. "The king ambushed us and destroyed the Blackrun. They-he took..." Cal hesitates, not wanting to continue, not wanting to say the words that we all still couldn't believe.

I finish his sentence. "The king has taken the lightning girl, as a trade. Her surrender for our lives. She made the offer, and he accepted it."

Cal looks away, trying to hide the look of pain on his face.

"WHAT?" The Colonel screeches. He couldn't give a damn about her, he was more concerned with loosing his precious banner, a powerful weapon.

"I'm not going to repeat myself Colonel, I think you heard me the first time. Now, we require a method of transportation."

I could practically see him fuming, wherever he was.

"Give us your coordinates."

I leave Cal to do that, and join the others around the fire, most of them now whispering quietly to each other. No doubt about the earlier events of today.

I glanced over at Kilorn, but he didn't seem to notice, still twirling the piece of cloth in his hands.

I craned my neck up towards the midnight blue sky and watched the stars twinkle from high above. The sight would be beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that all of us could be dead by tomorrow.

I wondered about Mare, if she was alive or not. She was strong, that much I had known, but I was amazed and horrified when she handed herself over to Maven without so much of as a blink of an eye.

That was a façade, obviously. I could tell that she was truly terrified of him, of going back to her prison.

I laid my head on the grass, my eyes never once leaving the stars.

If I was going to die tomorrow, I would take this image, this rare piece of beauty with me. I wanted it, along with my brother, to be the last thing I saw before I died.

My eyes swept across the sky, looking for constellations. I spotted the Big Dipper, and smiled.

But that quickly faded once I remembered where I was.

Though I had hated it with a passion, I missed my old life, the simplicity of it. There was no going to war, no freaky abilities, no rebellion's to fight.

But I wouldn't go back, I had already tasted freedom and I knew that, that freedom was what I wanted.

I also wanted Mare back.

That thought surprised me the most.

I would not stop fighting, I would have to be dead for me to stop.

I would fight for not only my freedom, but for countless others.


	4. chapter iv

Mare Barrow   
Archeon, Norta

Pain.

That's all I felt, pure pain.

It was a constant assault, pulsing over me in waves. It felt like being tossed over and over again in the sea, never being able to reach the surface, but not being able to drown.

I knew I wasn't dead, I could tell by the uneven rise and fall of my chest. I could hear hushed whispering around me, and a strange beeping sound.

I was in a tunnel, and at the far end I could the white light, beckoning for me to reach out to it.

I lunged forward, trying to grasp it, but every time I tried, it always slipped through my fingers.

How? I wondered. How was I alive?

My mind was awake, but my body wasn't. I couldn't move, or speak, or scream.

I felt a small tugging sensation at the back of my mind, and I tried to swat it away.

My hearing dulled, and I started to panic, the beeping sound matching the pace of my rapid heartbeat. No, I didn't want to sleep, not now.

Wake up! My mind screamed at me.

Of course I didn't, I only sunk further into nothingness.

\- - - - - - - -

The surface beneath my cheek was soft and plush. A silk cover was draped over me, and I ran my fingers over it, soothed by the smoothness.

Silk...wait, what?

I shot up, almost banging my head on the headboard.

My mouth dropped open, not in awe, but in horror and recognition.

This was the same room I had used when I was Mareena, when the King and Queen had plucked me out of my old life, and threw me into a den of Silver wolves.

My right wrist had a handcuff around it, and was attached to a thick metal chain that was bolted to the wall. I jiggled the chain, and it made a clinking sound.

It was almost just as I had remembered it, except for a few changes. Same overly gigantic bed, crystal chandelier and soft, purple carpet.

The windows now had steel bars reinforcing it, making sure that I wouldn't me able to punch through the glass. Dark patches lined the walls in even rows, and I skimmed one square with the tips of my fingers. Silent stone. That explained the stifling sensation in the room. Maven had clearly thought this through very carefully.

My head snapped towards to knocking sound at the door, and I watched warily as Evangeline entered the room with a familiar cold grace to her movements.

She was dressed in deep black gown with metal sequins swirling around the hem and neckline in mourning for the previous Queen. How happy she must be for a chance to leap up and snatch the crown that she's always wanted, I only had made the job easier for her.

My eyes trailed behind her, expecting a group of sentinels to be right behind their future Queen, but to my surprise, there wasn't any.

She sniffed and tilted her head up, refusing to come any closer to me.

I broke the heavy silence by saying, "Long time no see Evangeline."

Really? I thought. Long time no see?

She bared her perfect white teeth at me. "Good to see you're still as idiotic as ever."

She took one step closer, her fists clenched tightly, most likely resisting the urge to strangle me.

I didn't know why, but I supposed that being faced with a near death experience had somehow made me more reckless and bold.

"Good to see you're still as desperate for the crown as ever."

She leaned forward and snarled, "I could have you punished for that."

I simply shrugged. "Does it look like I care? What are you doing here anyway, without any guards, I may ask."

Evangeline straightened to collect herself and said, "it is the Queen's duty to receive guests."

I felt the smartass answer on the back of my tongue, and didn't bother restraining it.

"Well, I'm not a guest, and you're not the Queen, soo...."

She leaned forward, hands outstretched, fingers itching to close around my neck, but pulled back.

She twisted her face into an expression of fury, and did a strange gesture with her hands.

The metal at my wrists tightened until they were fully cutting off my blood circulation, my hands turning a pale white. I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I was ordered not to lay a finger on you, but you insist on making it so difficult."

The handcuffs loosened, and I let out a sigh in relief.

"There's a whole lot more where that came from lightning girl, don't forget that or your place."

She pointed at the golden collar around my neck, and smirked. I resisted the urge to hang my head in shame.

"A pity I forgot to bring some doggy treats. Consider this a late birthday gift."

Evangeline hurled a shard of metal at me, and it buried itself into the wall behind me, just over my head.

It all happened so fast that I didn't even flinch, but instead smirked back at her.

"It seems as if you need to work on your aim, Evangeline. My head is over here."

I gave her best wicked smile.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, until they were as pale as the rest of her silver flushed skin. She retrieved the shard of metal with one flick of her wrist, and swept out of the room in a whirlwind of skirts.

Once I was sure that she was gone, I leaned back onto the bed, and sighed. I reached out to grab the glass of water on the bedside table, but instantly recoiled back. Fresh blood dripped off of my arm where the word Queenkiller was forever written into my skin, and it stung. I cradled my arm, wiping off the blood with the silk blanket, and I poured some water over it.

Stupid, stupid girl. How the hell do you get yourself into these type of situations?

Shade had always teased my about my talent of being able to find myself trouble.

You are trouble itself, Mare.

Then he would laugh, shake his head, then flash me his trademark grin.

A pang of sadness shot through me. I missed him so much. He wasn't afraid to yell at me, to put me in my place, he understood me, was always there for me.

Farley had truly cared for him, loved him even.

And now, that twisted part of my mind was beginning to wish that the knife has pierced my heart instead of his, the way it was supposed to be.

But was I meant to die that way?

Jon would know, I thought bitterly.

If Jon were to walk through the door, I didn't think I would be able to bear the sight of the man who had branded me as a queenkiller, who had known Shade would die at Corros. And yet, did nothing about it.

But if there was something I had learned from my time at being at court, was that everyone was playing their own games, and anyone could be used as a pawn.

That was a lesson I knew all too painfully well.

Ever so gently, I lay my head on the just as silky pillow, and fought the feeling of fatigue that washed over me.

How long had I been trapped inside of my own head? How long had I been in that awful coma for?

I knew that they didn't plan on telling me. They wanted me to be confused.

I let my mind drift off, and I found myself wondering about where Cal and the others where. I hoped that they were okay, that Kilorn would forgive me for doing what I did. What I had to do.

I told myself over and over again that they didn't need me. I had only ever brought pain to the people that I cared about, that they would be better off without me.

But in truth, I was trying to convince myself of it more than anything. It would make it easier to let them go, to let him go.

I missed all of them. But I had to try to forget about them.

I flipped onto my side, and curled up into a tight ball. Blindly, I reached out my hands, searching for the body that was always right next to me.

But he wasn't there, and I was glad for it. This was my punishment alone to bear, not his.

But still, I missed his warmth, the way he would wrap his arms around me as a sign of comfort and nothing else.

I sighed, and traced the jagged, bloody letters on my arm.

My eyelids began to grow heavier, exhausted from the lighting storm I had whipped up, and from the excruciating pain that had followed afterwards. But I wouldn't give in to the false sense of security. For all I knew, I could wake up in the Bowl of Bones tomorrow.

I had returned to court, last time unaware of the invisible and deadly game that was being played.

But this time, I knew what kind of snake Maven was, what lengths he would go to for power, absolute control.

He had a new, twisted game for me, and no matter what I did, there was only one outcome.

I would be forced to play along, and I would lose, not only the game, but my life as well.


	5. chapter v

Cameron Cole  
The Choke, Norta

The cargo plane touched down onto the open field, spitting chunks of dirt and grass everywhere, and I wasn't the only one who took a timid step back.

The roar of the engines was deafening, and I clapped my hands over my ears in an attempt to block out the noise, but alas, no avail.

The rest of the group shuffled behind me, and Cal stood to my right, wearing a cool, calm mask to hide his inner anguish. To show that he had control of his emotions, when in truth, he was most likely a mess inside.

A leader indeed.

We watched as the gears to the hatch of the plane smoothly opened to reveal the Colonel and his second in command standing side by side, looking far than impressed.

I willed my racing heart to calm down, and with one deep breath, I straightened my spine, and wiped all traces of emotion from my face. I had to appear just as calm, even though the Colonel ruffled me in the wrong way.

The Colonel took slow, deliberate steps towards us, a cold glint in his good eye.

He stopped a few metres away from us, and surveyed me from head to toe, and I tried my best not to squirm.

He towered above me, despite being a few inches shorter than than I was, with an air of authority and fury surrounding him.

I gulped.

"Well, quite a bit has happened since we have last seen each other, your highness" he said, with barely restrained anger, no doubt from his most recent temper tantrum over the lighting girl's capture.

Cal was silent, which he always seemed to be lately, so I spoke up instead.

"What hasn't happened Colonel" I said, forcing a chuckle.

He glanced over at me, an expression of distaste flashing across his features before it dissolved back into the cold mask.

Well, alright then.

"We don't have time for dilly-dallying and small talk, so let's get on with it" he said, brushing past me.

"In your formations!" the Colonel commanded.

I moved to go towards the front, but the Colonel pushed me back.

"Where do you think you're heading child? The lighting girl gets captured, and you think you're suddenly in charge?" He sneered.

Keep calm, don't spit in his face Cameron.

I took a deep breath and looked him straight into his good eye and said, "someone had to do it."

He grunted, and continued walking, deciding that I wasn't worth his time, or energy. I sniffed. Just as well.

I was placed beside a guardsmen, well, girl, to be exact. Her name was Almira, though she preferred to be called Allie. We had exchanged a few words over dinner last night, mostly about the weather, useless stuff really. Anything to avoid our crappy reality. Her gaze was cast into the distance, overlooking the massive plane, lost in thought, but she tugged on my hand and whispered, "do you think that we can actually save those kids?"

Her eyes darted towards mine, nervously, but she caught herself, and continued staring forwards.

I didn't need to ponder this, I already had. It was the subject of my thoughts in my waking hours, sometimes even at night, but in a more ghastly form. In my dreams, or nightmares to be more accurate, dead bodies had littered the ash coated ground, looking as if they had been bathed in their own blood.

I had walked up to one of them, and peered into their faces, glassy eyes staring up at me, then stumbled back in horror.

Too young, they're all too young.

The young corpse gasped, as if it had never been dead, and choked out "so much blood" then had a coughing fit, blood spewing out of his mouth like a fountain, and went limp again.

I would reach out and try to grab them, but my fingers went through them, reminding me that they were not made of flesh and blood, but shadow and smoke.

I had thought about what he meant, but laughed at myself.

It was some crazy nightmare, it doesn't mean anything.

But the more I thought about it, I realized that the corpse did have a point. At first, I only thought about how much red blood had been spilled fighting a hopeless war, but then it hit me.

Silvers. So much Silver blood had been spilled as well, though not as much as Red blood.

All this fighting, all the new graves that were dug into the ground every day, it was so pointless.

And the cause of all this death was because those stupid, stubborn royals refused to negotiate a treaty with the Lakelanders. They were prideful creatures, and rathered having hundreds of Reds and Silvers die each day than attempt to put an end to it and admit that we were running out of resources. The resources being us, the ones they made fight their own battles.

And they sat on their carved, diamondglass thrones, wearing fancy silks, crown's forged of precious stones and metals on their noble heads, decked out in medals of bravery and honour, when the hardest thing that they had ever done was complain that their hands were cramping every time they had to sign the countless documents that every child's family received when their kid had died on the battlefield.

I mentally snorted. No, scratch that, the hardest thing they had ever had to do was lift their delicate little pinkies to sip a cup of expensive tea in glasses crafted of gold and silver.

Allie tugged on my sleeve again, snapping me out my waking nightmare.

"Cameron" she whispered, concerned.

I decided to tell her what I thought was the truth. It was harsh, but true.

Letting out a long sigh, I said "we won't be making it back with exactly five thousand kids, obviously."

"But I hope that we will be able to save as many of them as we can, and I will make sure I do everything that I possibly can to help them."

That much I knew was true.

Allie was quiet for a while, probably seeing the amount of corpses that would litter the Choke tonight in her own mind's eye.

She stiffened abruptly next to me, and put one hand over her heart. At first, I was confused with her sudden change in attitude, but the dead silence and the feel of someone breathing down my back was an obvious giveaway.

The Colonel stood right behind me, and I willed my hand to move, to fist over my heart, but it hung limply at my side, refusing to follow this man.

He circled around me, like an hungry vulture would around it's already dead meal.

My eyes shot to Cal's, he too did not a have a fist over his heart. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. He would not submit to this man.

From my time at being at the Notch, these people had become easier for me to read. The prince as well. He would not pledge his obedience, but he would help.

He nodded at me, and I felt assurance wash over me, confirming that I was doing the right thing.

The Colonel gave Cal and I a sharp glare, but did not reprimand us. He had more important things to do than scold two misbehaving soldiers.

Together in pairs, we filed into the giant of a cargo plane. Of course there were it's advantages and disadvantages to it. The plane could transport a large amount of people to a destination, but lacked speed. My nerves sizzled in protest, not wanting to board another scrap of hurling metal that could possibly crash.

My movements were stiff as I buckled myself into the seat, and as I looked around, I could tell I wasn't the only one frightened at the possibility of falling out of the sky, again.

Allie buckled herself in right beside me, not daring to speak again. I felt a burning hole in the side of my neck where the Colonel's glare was piercing me, and I gripped the arms of my seat, trying my best not to turn around and glare right back.

I couldn't get thrown out of this mission. I needed to be here. To save my brother, and the other children. And the only person I trusted to that was myself. Slowly, I relaxed. I had to appear obedient and try to cover my slip up of refusing to show respect.

Cal sat in one of the seats to the very back, away from the others, not to far from a miserable Kilorn. It was a strange sight, seeing the prince and the fish boy without the lighting girl. They looked...lost. Two pets without their master.

They locked gazes that were filled with painful understanding and determination. Even they too had agreed to set aside their emotions in order to execute this mission properly.

I looked away. They had been closer to Mare than the rest of us, and invading that private moment made me feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable. Like I was witnessing something I wasn't supposed to see.

Bree and Tramy took their places beside the Colonel, their shoulders sagging with defeat. Both of their faces were pulled with sadness and loss. First their brother, and now the eldest sister.

Watching this reminded me that the lighting girl-Mare was a somebody to other people. Everyone knows that she is the kingdom's most wanted traitor, alongside with the prince, a Red Queen, a soldier. But she's also a sister, a daughter, a friend.

I wouldn't call her any of those things, other than an ally. But the only thing she could be called now was dead.

Harsh, but true.

The engines roared to life, and I winced. It was so bleeding loud that I thought my eardrums would burst.

I gripped my armrests even tighter as the nose of the plane tipped upwards, and shut my eyes.

My stomach plunged as we rose several feet into the air, and I swallowed down my nausea. Flying was not something I would ever get used too.

My breaths were panicked, heartbeat galloping. Blood rushed to my ears, then popped as we gained altitude, climbing higher and higher into the sky.

Kilorn's jaw was clenched, a sign that he was affected by the height as well. Cal didn't seem to bothered by it though. He sat, relaxed in his chair. Or so his body posture claimed. The dark emotions swirling in his eyes told a different story.

As if sensing my gaze, Kilorn's eyes flashed to mine, causing an unsettling feeling in my stomach.

And it wasn't from the plane.

His lips stretched into what I assumed was supposed to be an encouraging smile, but turned out into a grimace.

I gave him a forced smile, then looked away, suddenly very interested in the metal panels of the interior.

\------------------------------------------

I caught myself dozing off a few times, but eventually decided not to fight the exhaustion. I would need every last bit of energy I had in a few hours, and some sleep would definitely help with that.

And so, I let myself drift.

The thick layer of ash from the ground dusted my boots, and the gentle wind swept even more into my loose strands of hair.

It was so dark, that I couldn't see anything within a few feet in front of me. I stumbled around blindly in the darkness, hands reaching out for something, anything.

There was no sun in the sky, no moon to mark the night. Not even the stars shone through the smoke.

My foot caught in something, sending me tumbling onto the floor. My hands slipped in a greyish-red coloured substance causing me to splay out on the ground. My head whacked a soft surface, and I lay there, to exhausted to move. It was deathly quiet, maybe a bit too quiet.

I flipped over, only to scream. A body, a child's body was beneath my head. I shot up, and scrambled backwards. Her eyes were wide open, filled with a recent horror, mouth hanging open in a soundless scream.

Was it her last?

A gust of wind blew ash into my mouth, and I moved to wipe it, but stopped. My hands were painted in the greyish-red liquid, and had a slightly tangy scent.

I sniffed it. What was it? Maybe some water with ash somehow got mixed together-

Blood.

I would know that scent anywhere

There was literally blood on my hands.

I tried to scrub it off on my pants and shirt, but it wouldn't come off, no matter how hard I tried.

My feet moved backwards, backing away from the body, only to bump against something else. I whirled around, then clamped my jaw.

Another body.

It wasn't just one, or two, or three.

There were hundreds, thousands.

Together they built mountains made of flesh, and stank of blood.

Their bodies were horribly mutilated, organs spilling out, skulls cracked open. The ground was no longer coated in ash, but in innocent blood, and the overwhelming metallic smell stung my nose.

"Cameron" someone hissed.

"Who's there?" I asked, voice shaking.

"Help me Cameron" The pained voice said.

A figure emerged from the smoke, one hand pressed to his stomach, an empty socket where his eye went missing. But even without one eye, even bloodied and bruised, I knew who it was.

Murray.

I cried out, and ran towards him. My hands hovered over his stomach uselessly, not knowing what to do. He collapsed, and I begged him not to die, to keep fighting.

But he didn't hear me, he couldn't hear me.

No one could hear me.

I awoke with a scream on my lips, but shoved it back down my throat. Allie stirred beside me, but didn't wake.

I surveyed the room, and turns out, I wasn't the only one who had taken a nap. Almost everyone was either lying on the hard floor, or leaning against the metal panels, trying to catch a few hours of desperately needed rest.

But not Cal. He had heavy, dark circles under his eyes, but yet, they looked so awake. He reached over to the silky, black piece of cloth on Kilorn's lap, pulled it into his hands, and ran his fingers over it.

A hazy memory surfaced, one of Mare wearing that exact piece of cloth around her wrist before we had boarded the Blackrun.

The last thing that they had left of her.

"Approximately ten minutes 'till landing! Everyone up!" The Colonel yelled.

On cue, they all shifted, groggily, but slowly awaking. I supposed in order to be part of the Scarlet Guard, you had to be a light sleeper in case of an attack. You always had to be ready.

Allie yawned, and stretched out her limbs. She turned her head towards me, and peered at me through half-lidded eyes.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asks, sympathetically.

"Something like that" I mutter to her.

She patted my shoulder, amd gave me a rueful smile. "Don't worry," then she brought her voice lower. "Not all of us sleep anymore either."

We lapsed into silence after that, but I knew her words rang true. I probed the skin under my eyes, feeling the bags underneath as a result of many sleepless nights. It wasn't uncommon, everyone here had some story, some reason for joining, and it wasn't a happy one.

I wondered what her's was.

Without warning, the plane dipped downwards, and I felt Allie's hand grasp my arm tightly in fear.

We held on to each other as we continued sailing down, gliding along in the wind.

I heard a mechanism turn, and I knew that it was the landing gears for the plane. The wheels touched the runway, and the impact would've sent me flying out my seat if it weren't for Allie keeping a grip on me.

We were all rattling around in our seats, like beads in a glass jar, looking quite ridiculous I may add, pale-faced in fear.

Eventually, the plane came to a stop, and the Colonel rose out of his seat, Bree and Tramy following suit.

None of dared to move, still trying to calm ourselves, some of us fighting the urge to throw up.

He pressed a button on the side, and the hatch slid open, and a burst of light caused me to squint.

He turned around, so that he was facing all of us.

The light silhouetted his figure, casting a long shadow on the floor in front of me. It gave the illusion of flames surrounding him, as if the world was on fire.

A grim smile spread across his lips, as he said "Welcome to the Choke."

I could feel my stomach sinking.

This was it, no turning back.

I hoped that this wasn't the last time I would see this plane.

To be Continued


	6. chapter vi

Mare Barrow  
Archeon, Norta

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I lay on the stone cold floor, unmoving, feeling quite content listening to the sound of dripping water, not wanting to open my eyes. If I concentrated hard enough, I could imagine that I was at my home in the Stilts during a rainy day, laying in my cot while letting the soft patter of rain lull me to sleep while grumbling at Gisa to shut up and stop snoring.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I counted them, and each one in between, synchronising them with my breaths.

Drip. Breathe In. Drip. Breathe Out.

I knew it was a waste of time, a futile way to spend the last remaining days, maybe weeks left of my pathetic life, but what else was here to do? The soldier in me hated this useless wasting of time, but I had reminded myself that there was nothing for me to fight for anymore. Even if I wanted too.

You have to open your eyes and face it eventually. Stop trying to childishly ignore reality. A small part of me wanted nothing more than to hide from the mess that I had gotten myself into, but I was done running. There was no where for me to go.

Grudgingly, I slowly cracked open one eye, and then another, carefully sitting up. I groaned, and rolled to my side, clutching my stinging arm while letting my gaze wander around the room..well cage to be more exact.

I laughed, not caring who heard me. How fitting for a dog.

Stone bars rose around me, and I immediately knew it wasn't an ordinary stone. Silent stone. To make you weak, imprisoned in your own skin. Without my lightning, I was harmless really. As much as I hated to admit it.

The floor was a cracked stone as well, and rust crawled up the back wall. A small, metal bowl of water was off the the side, along with a stale slice of bread, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

The echo of shoes clattered from the outside hallway, and I closed my eyes again, pretending to be asleep. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone.

They carefully approached my cage, as if I was a wild animal, and stood over me, waiting.

"There's no use pretending to be asleep, Mare Barrow"

My eyes flew open, and I jumped up to my feet, ignoring the sting of pain. I recognized that voice. The same one that had told me what I was destined for, I now know that they were nothing but lies. Something I should've known.

My fingers were wrapped around the bars, holding them in a death grip before he could even blink. He watched me with that same cool stare, eyes cold, reminding me of frozen blood.

"Have you come here to gloat?" I hissed. "Or to simply come to look at the animal locked up in her cage, while tossing her treats."

He moved with that same strange grace, coming to stand directly in front of the bars, so we were now nose to nose. I lifted my chin while staring daggers at him.

"I did what I had to do Miss Barrow. You did as well" he said, noting my clenched fingers wearing on the bars, as if it was his neck. It was worth the pain it cost to see the brief flash of fear on his face.

It filled me with the wicked feeling of a dark satisfaction, and I grinned. I could be in chains behind bars with a dogs collar digging into my neck, but for all their noble talk, they were still afraid of me. Of what I could do when given the chance.

I don't even know what I would do when given the chance.

"Did you know?" I ask him, clutching the bars to support my suddenly weak legs. "Did you know that Shade would die?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see if he had any shred of regret.

"Yes."

No regrets, no sorrow.

And I think that's what hurt the most.

"Ah Jon, you didn't tell me you were coming to visit the prisoner."

My mud brown eyes meet his own pale blue ones, watching me, and my stomach sank.

"It wasn't so much as a visitation, your highness. More like her trying not to rip my head off."

They chuckled together, and I looked away. To think that I had ever trusted them both.

"Open the cage, it's time for a walk" Maven commanded.

"Are you sure, your highness? Without any guards?" Jon asks, hesitantly.

He looks me over again, for any sign of resistance. I have none.

"She won't fight."

The door opened with a groan, and Jon unhooked my chain from the wall, while Maven yanked my leash. The points dug in deeper, and I coughed.

He dragged me into the outside hallway, passing the throne room and dining room, with Jon trailing on my heels, in case I tried anything. We stopped in front of a pair of glass doors, engraved with vines and grapes wreathing the edges. In all my time at the palace, I don't think that I had ever seen this door. If I had, I'm sure I would've remembered it.

Unlike the last time I was paraded about, there were no cheers, not even a single sound came from the other side.

Who was he going to parade me in front of? The wind?

Maven pulled on the door handle, and a gust of wind tickled my cheeks, playing with my hair. I closed my eyes, and leaned my head back, breathing it in. The garden was beautiful, with magnolia trees and flowers dotting the flower beds, with vines twisting over each other, scaling the fence that led to the balcony.

But as beautiful as it was, it felt so..dead. As if it was a place of former splendour, now forgotten.

I suddenly felt the prickling sensation of someone watching me, and I opened my eyes to see hundreds of them staring right back.

I blinked at them, too shocked to move, even when Maven kicked me.

They weren't Silvers.

Right off the bat I could tell, due to their ragged attire, and tired eyes. Most of them were dressed in the red uniform, marking them as palace servants. The others were most likely family members.

What was this?

Pebbles and sharp rocks crunched underneath my bare feet as we began to walk. No one uttered a single sound as we passed them. It was as quiet as a grave.

I knew I wasn't fighting anymore, but still, I lifted my chin and straightened my spine. A sign that I was undefeated, though, that was a complete lie.

No cameras watched as I walked, occasionally stumbling as Maven pulled me along. He turned to look at me and my posture, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I guess I could never truly stop fighting, no matter how big or small.

He brought his lips to my ear, and I shivered. "I could make you crawl if I wanted too, just like an actual dog."

"In fact, I think you should" he whispered, not even needing to point at the floor.

Slowly, I sank to my knees, face burning after giving him a glare that was just as hot as any flame. The Reds watched me with pitiful stares, and defeated faces. I felt like a child, now learning how to walk.

And so, I crawled on the floor, looking down so I wouldn't have to see Maven and his cruel smile. With each move forward that I took, my body ached in protest, begging for me to stop, as well as my damaged pride.

But Maven wouldn't let me stop, and I had to fight to keep up with him as he pulled on my chain as if he was indeed taking his pet for a walk.

Don't cry, don't cry.

Don't let him see you cry.

He was doing this for more than to humiliate me, I realized, as we neared the end.

He brought Reds here to witness their so called savoir, brought low.

To show that even the greatest among them could be reduced to nothing but a dog.

It was a brilliant move really, especially since the broadcast that I had recorded with the Colonel had aired, causing slums and villages to riot.

When I had broadcasted Elara's dead corpse to the entirety country.

I had many regrets, but that wasn't one.

And now, these Reds would surely talk, and spread the news of the lightning girl's capture.

A single tear snaked down my cheek, and fell to the floor, followed by another, and then another.

Stop.

Stop this.

Stop crying.

You are strong, you are brave.

You are the lightning girl.

But the leash said otherwise.

You are nothing but a dog.

My breaths became shallower, and I hiccupped. He watched the tears dripping off my face with a gleam in his eyes, and carefully wiped a tear away, and brought it to his lips, tasting it, his eyes never leaving mine.

My mouth dropped open, and I backed away, disgusted.

He's completely sick.

How could I have never seen this side of him? He hid it so well, and I felt like a fool for ever trusting him, for ever loving him.

Two large objects at the end of the path glinted in the sun, and I squinted at it. My tears made it almost impossible to see clearly, but as we got closer to it, I realized what it was.

Two thrones.

The golden eyed woman was seated on top one of them, watching my approach, as well as the rest of the court, and I started to tremble.

At the bottom of the larger throne was a wooden footstool, and I immediately knew it was for me.

Maven took his place on the throne, and I sat on the stool, staring at the floor, as if it was the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen.

I traced the tiles, drawing my name in looping letters, fixing on my mask of boredom, and wiping away a stray tear.

She was watching me.

The woman with the fire in her gaze was watching me, but I didn't dare look back.

In all my time at court, I had never seen her. Who was she anyways, to sit on the Queen's throne?

Evangeline was watching her, well, she was actually watching the throne that the woman sat upon. It would be hers someday.

She flicked her gaze to mine, and smirked, looking pointedly at my footstool, and I could practically hear her voice in my head.

Look at the dog.

My chest squeezed with anger, but my face gave away nothing.

Maven sat lazily in his throne, almost showing it off, as if it was a simple chair.

"Let court begin" he announced.

"Jon, please step forward." Maven says, beckoning for him come.

Jon walks forward, his steps unsure, and I sneer at him and his cowardliness. So the fool can betray and help kill, but he can't even face the liar who sits on the throne, the man he works for.

"Jon has informed me of the pesky rebel situation" Maven says, swirling a crystal glass filled with water, his chin on his fist.

My eyes widened. What did Jon tell him?

"Which is why we must take action."

The court nods in agreement, some even shout for death.

What has the Scarlet Guard done now?

"Where is Ptolemus Samos?"

Ptolemus approaches the throne, and I crush the flower that I had been twirling in my grip, the mashed red petals fluttering to the ground.

This was the man that had killed my brother.

My face flushed in fury, matching the petals of the destroyed flower. I took deep breaths, balling my fists.

Kill him. I want to kill him.

Hushed whispers caressed my thoughts, shaping into threads that pulled at them, coaxing me.

"Gather as many men as you can, and leave for the Choke by tomorrow to deal with the rebels. The rest shall be discussed in the War Room."

I almost screamed.

Maven watches my reaction to his words, observing me carefully, then smiles.

"Oh Mare, for much a smart girl, you're quite foolish. Didn't you think that I already knew about you and your friends stupid plan to free the child legion?" He laughs.

He promised. He promised he wouldn't hurt them.

I have to warn them. I can't warn them.

"It will be done, your highness" Ptolemus answers, looking disgustingly excited, and bows.

To kill.

He's excited to kill.

"Strength and Power" Maven rumbles, holding his glass out in a toast.

"Strength and power" the court responds, cheering.

And that's when I truly lose it.

All I see is a blazing red, before I lunge, my hands reaching out to lock around his throat.


	7. chapter vii

Cameron Cole  
The Choke, Norta

We had gone over the plan so many times, that I could now recite it in my sleep, something that I was debating on doing right now.

I dozed off a few times, but thankfully, no one seemed to have caught me, other than Allie, but she pretended not to notice, and for that I was truly grateful.

Cal studied the plan, occasionally biting on the pen, and jotting things down while nodding at appropriate times as he listened to the Colonel making some "minor adjustments" as he called it.

The adjustments being someone to replace Mare. She was supposed to lead half of the child legion across the Choke, where the other group would meet there halfway, and take a few stolen cargo planes over to Lake Eris to where we would then make our retreat through the dense forests that surrounded the water.

After that, well, Tuck couldn't accommodate that much people, so others would be shipped off to different bases, hopefully in Norta. It wasn't the best place to be, but it was still home. Families wouldn't be separated, of course, the Colonel was making sure of that. He knew a few things about a separated family.

We sat in a small tent, with the Colonel's personal audience crowded around the table that consisted of a few newbloods, Cal, Bree and Tramy, and the Lieutenant Jeremiah.

He was a short man, with greying hair, and a crooked nose. He apparently was the man that had been the first to speak with us over the radio. He didn't even so much as glance at me.

The Colonel and Cal were huddled around the map, marking the point of Lake Eris, and tracing the route, and I watched the winding line.

It looked so small, but would it be when we were running for our lives with five thousand children?

The tent flap opens, and Mira walks through, looking something of apologetic.

She clears her throat, and the room's full attention landed on her, causing her cheeks to go red.

"Umm...Sir..Mr..Colonel some news has arrived from Archeon, and I..there's a umm video that I need to show you" she stammers.

"Alone" Mira adds.

"Everyone out" the Colonel waves a hand, dismissing us.

The newbloods scurry out, grateful to be away from him, leaving Cal, Bree, Tramy and I.

"I said, everyone out" he commanded, slightly irritated.

"No" Cal says, boldly.

"This isn't your little palace anymore your highness. You no longer give orders, but follow mine" he hisses.

Cal stands up, towering over him, his temper slipping off the leash he had so carefully put it on.

"If it has anything to do with Mare, than it has something to do with me."  
The Colonel opens his mouth to speak, but Bree cuts him off.

"She is our sister, and the prince was her..friend. He will stay."

He huffed, but made no further comment. "What is it?"

She wordlessly crossed over to the small video player on top of the wooden tables, while Bree and Tramy stared at it in confusion. I supposed that they had never seen one before judging by the looks on their faces.

Mira inserted the large disc into the device, and I didn't miss the tense expression on Cal.

The screen was fuzzy at first, nothing but static, but soon enough it cleared, and I could make out the figures that stood atop the platform.

Mare knelt in front of the King, tears making their paths down her flushed face. She glared at the concrete below her, almost burning a hole straight through the ground.

Kilorn's fist clenches, as well as a muscle in his jaw. Maven starts to address the crowd, but all I can hear sprouting from his mouth is the word stupid over and over again.

Seriously, I can't be the only one.

Cal slumps in his chair, utterly defeated at the sight of her kneeling. Maven has won and Cal knows it. We can't save her, he couldn't stop her. Suddenly I feel a bit less victorious.

Kilorn sweeps out is chair, without a worded explanation. But the empty look of grief in his eyes are a telltale sign enough.

I hadn't realised that I had zoned out until Bree leans forward, his fist slamming against the table. The blinding show of lightning stings my eyes, but I force myself to watch. Why, I don't know. I can see her through it all.

Chin lifted high, eyes shining dangerously as the lightning whipped around her in a deadly storm. Cal puts his head between his hands, trying to block out her screams, but it doesn't seem to be working, because he flinches with each shriek.

I want to tear my eyes from the screen, but I can't. They stay fixed in it, growing wider by the second. She throws her head back, and laughs, but the sound is drowned out by the panic of the crowd, now trying to flee.

Maven runs as well, followed by his sentinels. He almost looks afraid.

Of course. Only Mare could do such a thing.

Cause panic and fear even in the midst of her own death.

Her eyes droop, and shut, the lightning crackling behind her slowly fading. She pitches forwards, and a guard reaches out to catch her, but instantly recoils back, her body shaking with sparks.

Once they sink back into her skin, he hesitantly approaches her, placing a hand over her heart, and looks at the guard next to him, shaking his head.

Cal inhales sharply. I think he knows what it means.

She doesn't move, or blink, or breath.

She's dead.

The streetlights flicker, as well as the lamps illuminating the Archeon Bridge. Even the camera goes hazy again, the battery slowly dying despite the full charge.

What did she do?

They flash, than fail, plunging the capitol into darkness, and the camera goes completely black. It was a massive power outage.

Tramy doesn't bother hiding his tears, furiously wiping them away, while Bree just stared at the black screen in shock, not quite believing it.

Their sister was dead.

Cal buried his face in his hands, tears dripping through the cracks of his fingers, his body shaking with silent sobs, and my heart ached at the sight.

Allie was deathly still beside me. She bowed her head, pressed three fingers to her forehead, then over her heart. A gesture of respect, and I found myself copying her.

Even the Colonel had nothing to say, and slowly, carefully, he too pressed his fingers to his brow, then over to his stone heart.

He cleared his throat, and Mira took the video out, her movements slow and shaky.

"Mira, do not show this to anyone else. Do you understand?" The Colonel asks.

If something like this got out, it would spread like wildfire, burning with grief, confusion, and anger through the base.

People would lose hope, and the Colonel would lose the slipping control that he had on them.

She nods, and trudges out.

"Everyone out. Take an hour break, and be back here exactly at five 'o clock" he commands. No one is in the right state of mind to plan, and he knows this.

Cal is the first to leave, his bloodshot eyes now empty and somehow, even duller. Like an unlit pile of wood, waiting to be kindled. I follow him out, eager to leave. I walk around blindly, pulling the flap to the tent that I think is mine open, and ignoring the question glances of the other girls. I stalked to my bed, and collapse on top of it, burying my face into the pillow. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, and I pulled at my hair in frustration.

I didn't care that the others were staring at me. They could stare all they wanted.

Why was her death affecting me like this? I never liked her.

So then why?

But that question, just like many others went unanswered.

I tossed in my bed, counting down the minutes until I was to go back to the Colonel and his plans, but sleep beckoned for me to fall into it, and so.

I fell.

Into a dreamless slumber.


	8. chapter viii

My hands never did get a chance to lock around his throat, as I was yanked away roughly by one of my guards. I thrashed and flailed, trying to break free, but his arms were like a second set of iron chains that had encircled themselves around me.

"You promised!" I screamed at him. "You promised you wouldn't hurt them!" What a fool I was to have ever thought Maven would stay true to his word. His word weighed nothing more than a grain of sand. A stupid idiotic fool who still hasn't learned her lesson.

Maven smoothed down his pristine uniform, not even the slightest bit shaken at my outburst, it was like he expected it, which only infuriated me further.

The court turned up their noses up at me, others looking quite murderous. But embarrassment was the least of my concerns.

He flicked a pale hand at me. "Guards, take her back to her cell. She has heard all I needed her too." So this is what the parade was for. It was a clever move, one to ensure that others would not get any ideas, and to inform me of my friend's impending doom.

He would slaughter them all, and I wouldn't be able to warn them. He knew I would hate it. This feeling of not be able to do anything. I was powerless. Alone without my lightning, and itching at the fact that I wouldn't be able to stop them.

I wonder if this is how the others felt, when I had struck a bargain with Maven. My life for their freedom. One for a dozen soldiers. It was a good deal, I told myself.

You've had to make sacrifices before. This was just another bargain, another trade.

How many lives had I traded for others?

Too many.

Nix, Ketha, Gareth.

I couldn't forget them, and their gruesome deaths. Nix was the first Newblood that we had found, and despite the warning bells, he felt like...a friend. We had been through unspeakable terrors together and still somehow survived.

The Arven guards dragged me away, and I offered no resistance, while the Red's turned their heads, seemingly more interested in the twisting vines than their own blood being humiliated.

But I wasn't their blood.

I was different. Even more so than the other Newbloods.

And that made me even more alone.

A single bolt of lightning against the approaching storm.

We were halfway to the cell, and I didn't bother to check for any exits. I would never escape. No one was coming for me.

They threw me into the cage, and I rolled a bit to soften the blow, but the streaks of scars that ran up my arms ached anyways.

The guards whispered between themselves. They only ever seemed to whisper, just as Instructor Arven had. But anything more than a whisper would shatter this fragile peace.

I only caught a few words, but the ones that really stood out to me were 'questioning' and 'Red bitch.' Well, it wasn't too hard to guess who they were speaking about.

Not to long after their quite rude conversation, another man entered the room, overshadowed by the two guards.

"Ah, Ragnor and Sabre isn't it?" A cool voice says, followed by clicking heels, slithering along my spine like a snake. The guards blocked me from view, but he peeked around them, staring at me with ice blue eyes.

Those eyes. They belonged to Elara, to Maven.

They were Merandus eyes.

Ones that always followed me, invading my sleep.

Ragnor and Sabre bowed to the man, who looked distantly familiar. "Lord Merandus."

"Oh please my friends. Just Samson is fine."

Samson Merandus.

The same man I had seen in the great Friday feats. He had killed that Rhambos strongarm with nothing but his mind, impaling him with his own sword. He didn't lift a finger, or even draw a blade. He didn't need it. All he needed was his mind.

He didn't even look so much as apologetic when the man had bled out freely on the sand, a fountain of silver leaking from his wound. But who was I to judge a man? Hadn't I done the same? Watched as my sparks flew like darts, and turned flesh into charred meat. Screams into a deathly silence.

But this time, I was his victim.

"You must be Mare Barrow" he says, smiling, but not kindly.

"No. I'm just another Red girl who can control lightning. Sorry to disappoint you." He will punish you for that.

But he didn't. Instead he laughed. "A bit sarcastic, isn't she? Well, this should be fun."

He rolled up his blue sleeves, and rubbed his hands together. "Bring her out."

"What are you doing" I asked, panicking, though I already knew. Why else would be be here? He was going to hack my brain apart, piece by piece, just as Elara had.

He ignored me, and I tried to move back, but Ragnor and Sabre dragged me forwards.

"Sorry lightning girl, but I have orders from my beloved nephew" he said, very unapologetically.

"Hold her down."

No. No no no.

Not again.

Samson seized my face with his hands, looking me straight in the eyes. I tried to look away, but I couldn't. My body was no longer under my own control.

Stars exploded behind my eyelids, and memories, both good and awful flashed before me. Mostly the newest ones, from my time at the Notch and Tuck. Cal and Kilorn's faces stood out the most, making me ache. I missed them. From meeting Nix, to our escape out of Harbor Bay. From training at the Notch, to the flight to Corros Prison. He lingered on that one, and I felt his curiosity as to why the memory was tinged with sadness.

He pushed pass them, to the beginning, when we were running from Maven through the Ruins of Naercey. I saw the sleek snapdragons flying above us, the dust that exploded with each missile that rained down from above.

He watched it all. Us boarding the mersive, the private conversation that I had with Cal. I tried to push him away from that one, but his hold was as strong as steel.

Everything, he watched everything. The things that made me laugh, and the things I wasn't proud of. He moved on past to after we had returned from Templyn, and I had cowered on the corner of a cramped room, trying to forget the small corpse that Maven had made. Trying to forget the blanket coated in it's innocent blood.

I watched myself cry, and he watched along with me, and I felt utterly humiliated. That was something I didn't want Shade to see, not even Cal, and here this man was, peeling apart my deepest heartaches and fears that I had tried so hard to bury with one twist of his mental claws.

The hold dropped, and I clutched my head. "That was far more than enough, thank you," he said, with a cruel smile tilting on his lips. Did I mention how much I hate Merandus's?

"The king shall be quite interested with this information."

And with that, he left without another word.

Bleeding hell. My head felt like it had been pounded on with a hammer. Samson had made it hurt, whereas Elara and slipped in as easily as a knife drawing across flesh. And I hated him even more for it.

Ragnor moved to drag me back into the cage, but I shrugged off his grip. "Don't bother" I spit out, and walked into the cell myself.

I didn't look at them as they slammed the bars, locking me in here for God knows how long. I stared at the slate wall, memorizing the cracks, and each little flaw. After a while, I started to chip away at it with my nails, not even caring about them ripping off and staining the wall red.

I swirled the pool of blood in my palm, and dipped my index finger in, carefully. Using it as a palette, I drew on the wall, writing my name, and adding a single, hastily drawn lightning bolt.

Stepping back, I admired my work. The cracks, all the imperfections of the wall weren't ugly to me at all. I was like the wall. Broken, flawed in everyway. The rust that crawled up the back, gaining size, was like the darkness that grew stronger in me every day.

And just like that wall, it was only a matter of time before I cracked, and broke beyond repair.


	9. chapter ix

Cameron Cole  
The Choke, Norta

The walk to the tent was a long one, but somehow even though I felt like collapsing right then and there, I managed to keep one foot in front of the other until I was standing in front of the green flap. I pulled it aside to reveal Allie and the Colonel sitting at the table with Mira standing between them, in a deep conversation.

They all looked up at me when I entered. "What is it?" I ask, curious. The Colonel clears his throat, fiddling with his pen. "I have sent out an evacuation for those at Tuck. We cannot assume that Silver whispers haven't already picked out the location from Ms Barrow's mind from before, and are heading there right now."

Everyone winced a bit at the mention of the now dead lightning girl, her death hanging over us like a dark cloud with a promise of a storm.

She was a storm.

I nodded after a long moment, and shook my head to clear any thoughts of Mare. I needed to stay focused. Grieving was for later.

"Where have they gone too?"

"There is another base close enough to Lake Eris, at the very border between Norta and the Lakelands. But not too close to the Choke, of course."

I moved towards a seat, and sank down into it. "But aren't there already people who live there?"

He bites his lip. "Yes, but mostly soldiers live there. And ever since a mission in..." He trails off. I suppose he wasn't allowed to tell me the contents of the mission. I wasn't trustable.

I was a Newblood, and to him I was the equivalent to dirt, just another weapon to be used and discarded if necessary. Dangerous. And I hated that. When would people see that we were more than oddities, things to be used. We were human, no matter how strange we seemed.

I supposed that was how Mare felt. The one thing that we could relate on.

Well, I grudgingly thought, there are some other things as well, I suppose.

"Ever since that disastrous mission, only a handful of occupants are there."

So we would be living in a place where men and women had once roamed the halls. But there was nothing left of them, except their ghosts.

"But still, there's not enough space" Allie says, and I have to agree with her.

The Colonel rubs his forehead, and the harsh lines on his face become much more visible. Stress had certainly taken its toll on him, as it had on all of us. "Most of us will have to be sent to a different base. We cannot send the children back to their homes."

Those children were now orphans, and would never see their parents ever again. Just as I wouldn't see mine again either.

"We have other bases in Norta, but it's too risky."

"What are you saying, Colonel?" Allie asks, though she knows the answer. It's just not one we want to hear.

"I'm saying that, for the time being, sending them to bases in the Lakelands would be safer. Nobody would expect that."

It was true. The King probably didn't even know about the Scarlet Guard and it's many heads. Besides, if he wanted to chase after them, going into Lakeland territory, was as good as a death sentence.

But those kids would be in the home of everything they were taught to fear and fight, while their parents faced punishment from the King. If they wanted to live, this was the price, and I wondered who would be willing to pay it. But they must, if they wanted to live, to see another dawn.

I didn't object. My opinion had no weight to it. The decision was already made.

Mira nods. "It's done then."

It was done.

***

Cal and Kilorn did not show up to the meeting, just as I had expected. We were preparing to leave soon, and the prince was leading group B, so I headed to the barracks where I supposed he would be. Cal was there, as was Allie. But no one dared to approach him. No one except for me.

He strapped on his black suit, not even needing to think about it. The process was familiar to him, just as it was to any soldier. I knew he heard me walking up to him, not even needing to push aside anyone. They had all moved to the side, clearing a straight path for me, but he didn't even look up.

"Cal."

He ignored me.

"Cal."

He kept walking, and I fought to keep up with his long strides. "Cal, stop-"

He whirls around, his shoes squeaking against the pavement, leaving black marks. "What?" He growls.

The temperature of the room rose, the flame in the lamps that hung above us flickered. Everyone went silent. The air was tense, heavy. I knew he wanted nothing more than to burn me to ashes--no--not necessarily me. I saw it in his eyes.

Leave me alone.

He wanted to release his grief, his anger on something. But it was clouding his mind, his ability to think rationally. I was doing this for a a reason, provoking him for a reason.

He needed to let that fury out now.

Cal shuddered, fists clenching in an attempt to calm himself, and his fire. Allie held her breath, and slowly backed away, and Cal didn't miss the action. He released a long breath, and continued walking at a more forgiving pace. A silent invitation.

I stalked next to him, careful not to walk too close, lest he turn me into a pile of ashes. I mulled over what to say. Clearly my brilliant plan hadn't reached so far. I had no idea what to say, or how to comfort him.

"How....how are you doing?" I ask, stupidly. Would you like a pat in the back for coming up with that?

"Great, I'm feeling just fine" He answers sarcastically, but yet somehow still managing to sound melancholy at the same time. It tugged on my heart, just ever so slightly. His fingers moved in a practiced motion, checking for bullets in his gun, and strapped it across his broad chest.

A/N Sorry to interrupt you my lovely readers, but can we all just imagine Cal in a hot black suit with a badass gun? Ok, continue.

I inwardly wince. I should have phrased that differently.

"I mean..you're not gonna.. explode?" Ugh, just die now, Cameron.

"Wasn't planning on it, no. But it sounds like a fun idea."

He can't be serious. But he does look a bit crazed, with disheveled black locks, bloodshot eyes and flushed silver cheeks, he could pass as the walking dead. But perhaps he was. Dead inside, But still living on the outside.

"Umm, so.. You're good?" I stammer, fighting for the right words. Why did I think this wasn't a good idea in any way?

He laughs bitterly, watching me struggle with my words. "Do you know how maybe people I love are dead? And you're asking me if I'm good?" A rhetorical question. He doesn't expect me to answer because he looks away.

We walked in silence after that, and somehow I knew, he was keeping himself together, because the room did not explode into an inferno. But I didn't want to be anywhere near him once he did.

Kilorn slinked around the walls, observing our conversation with a mild interest. Well, if you could call it that. I knew he was making an attempt to clear his head, but he wasn't at his best. If any of the others had noticed Kilorn and Cal's worsened moods, they didn't comment on it. And as for me, well, I was always bitchy, so not much of difference.

Allie moved beside me, the movements quick and quiet, her hands clasped in front of her. I could tell she was trying to hide her shaking fingers by the way she wrung them out.

I knew I should say something. Allie was to leave with the Colonel since she couldn't pass as a member of the child legion. And though the words were unspoken, we both felt the need to say goodbye.

This may be the last time we ever see each other, and she had become a friend to me. She understood what it was like to work in a slum, to never see the sun, or a glimpse of the stars. She knew what is was the live under a cloud of smoke and hopelessness.

Allie looked at me, and launched herself forward, throwing her arms around my neck, causing me to stumble back. "Goodbye, Cami. Can I call you that? Cami?" She asked.

I chuckled and shook my head, returning the hug. "Nope." I stepped back, my smile turning into a frown. "And don't say goodbye" I said, softly. "How about, see you later?"

She smiled. "Alright, Cami. See you later once all this shit is over."

She opened her mouth to say more, but was cut off by a gruff, but familiar choice that filled me with dread.

"The Colonel and his group are leaving at the boarding deck in five minutes, I repeat, in five minutes."

Allie's face goes a pale brown, and swallows harshly. She was afraid. But fear meant she had a good sense of judgement. She had every right to be afraid.

She gives me an apologetic look, and slips away, following Lieutenant Jeremiah down the crowded hall. And I couldn't help thinking that I would never see again. But before my mind could reach into a deeper detail, our group was announced to report at Deck B.

Cal marched past me, not even sparing a glance at those who parted for him, his gaze straight ahead. He looked like a king. I shook myself from the stupor, and scurried after him, my body roving between the others.

The light of outside burned my eyes, but Cal didn't seem bothered by the heavy perfume of smoke and piercing sunlight. Well of course not. He could make fire bend at his will.

He shouldered his way up to the front, and stood at the belly of the plane atop a platform, back straight and eyes narrowed. The light danced around him, wreathing a crown of twisted flames upon his head, and I just stared at him. He looked as if he had been born of the ashes, and rose up as a vengeful ember.

And it was time that he unleash the flame that he kept carefully contained.

Hopefully the battlefield would be a nice place.

"In line" he barked, and everyone instantly obeyed, something gazing at him in awe, others in dislike. I took my place at the back beside Kilorn. The line moved quickly, and soon enough I found myself in the underneath section the plane. We fought out way though the darkness, occasionally bumping into one another, but no one fell.

I stumbled once, but Kilorn's hand shot out, and snaked itself around mine, pulling me upright, and I flushed, suddenly thankful for the darkness. He didn't say anything, but I mumbled a short 'thank you' and he grunted. As close to a conversation as we would ever have.

Cal joined us, standing as closely to me as he dared. Clearly he wasn't over our latest conversation, or perhaps he was still in his mood. But it wasn't easy seeing someone you cared about suffer.

So I let him sulk.

I watched as his expression went from a dullness, to an aching sadness, to a boiling rage. A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead at the spiked temperature, and I wiped at away with my sleeve.

But he didn't calm down, and even Kilorn was starting to feel the strain. Cal's eyes glowed in the darkness, more red and gold than the calm amber and orange he usually had. Carefully, I scooted away closer to Kilorn to escape his blazing temper once it lashed out.

Which, it was bound to do.

Eventually, my muscles relaxed after being so tense next to Cal, and I strung up the hair off my neck, allowing a cool blast of air to kiss the skin. I almost sighed in relief, and leaned back into the wall, my hand brushing against Kilorn's, but I quickly pulled at away, the blush flaming up again.

He glances at my startled expression, but looks away, and this time I really did sigh in relief.

That was close

***

The ride was less bumpy then usual, but we raced with a sense of urgency. My hand gripped the bar overhead as the craft dipped down, the wheels gliding as smoothy as if it was skimming over water.

Maybe we were.

But as far as I knew, anything that was considered beautiful was destroyed immediately at the Choke. Either by bombs or gunfire, it after being trampled on by legions. Nothing survived here, and no one was spared.

The mouth to the plane yawned opened once we had touched down, and Cal strided ahead, his face haunted at whatever lay outside. I moved beside him, pushing aside for a better view, and my knees almost buckled at the sight.

It was grey.

Ash everywhere, filling your mouth and clogging your nose and lungs. The heavy clouds seemed to pour the ash from the sky, and the air was thick with it.

But the bodies were the worst.

I could see them from here, their corpses strewed across the plain wth splatters of blood, more Red than Silver, and I felt sick.

A hand pulled me back, and I whirled around to face Kilorn.

"You shouldn't have to see this" he murmurs.

I shake my head. "I knew what I signed up for. And I didn't expect it to be pretty."

He gave a dark grin. "Usually most women faint at a such a sight."

"Well" I drawled. "I'm not most women."

His echoing laugh followed me off the ramp as I climbed down to face my living nightmare.


End file.
